Whether you suffered injuries in an auto accident or an industrial accident, the outcome is the same: You have substantial losses to contend with and a long road ahead. When another party’s negligent actions resulted in your injuries, you have the right to file a personal injury claim that may provide compensation for both financial and non-financial damages associated with the accident. However, that does not mean that the path will go smoothly. Many people end up dealing with a long fight with the insurance company as they struggle to get fair compensation for their losses.
The experienced and dedicated lawyers at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers are here to help Broussard injury victims move forward through the claim process. Not only can they seek out evidence related to your accident that can make it easier to establish liability, they can examine the damages you sustained to include them in your claim.
You have the right to file an injury claim when another party’s negligence leads to your injuries. Courts look at several factors to determine liability for an incident.
With a careful look at these four elements, a lawyer can better determine which parties may bear or share liability for your specific accident.
Motor vehicle accidents on the streets of Broussard lead to thousands of injuries each year. Broussard is located between Lafayette and St. Martin parishes. Lafayette sees an estimated 28 fatal vehicle accidents each year, while St. Martin sees around 17 fatal vehicle accidents, according to the Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety. Other vehicle accidents can result in severe injuries, ranging from broken bones or soft tissue damage to spinal cord injuries or brain damage.
In Louisiana, pedestrians have the right of way when legally crossing an intersection or road. However, some drivers may not exercise due care around pedestrians. Furthermore, because pedestrians do not fit the same visual profile as passenger vehicles, drivers often have a harder time watching out for them. Pedestrian accidents may result in more severe injuries than other types of auto accidents, since pedestrians do not have any protection from the force of the vehicle.
Motorcycle accidents often occur because of reckless or ignorant behavior on the part of other drivers. Drivers may fail to adequately track the presence of motorcycles around them. Since motorcycles can easily disappear into a passenger vehicle’s blind spot, drivers may have a hard time keeping track of their location. Unfortunately, motorcycles also offer no protection against a vehicle or obstacles in and around the road, which means motorcycle riders frequently sustain severe injuries in accidents.
Because of its location on I-90, a major highway through Louisiana, Broussard sees a great deal of big truck traffic. While those big trucks serve essential roles in transporting goods across the state and throughout the country, including picking up imported items from port cities, they can also pose a significant danger to other drivers on the road. Commercial truck accidents may involve a longer investigation process than other types of auto accidents, since both insurance companies and lawyers may need to consider the driver’s record, the company’s policies, and even the truck’s maintenance history while evaluating the causes of the accident.
Louisiana sees a high rate of industrial accidents due in part to its population and their occupations. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, around 20% of the population works in potentially dangerous or hazardous industries.
Industrial accidents can lead to workers’ comp claims in addition to personal injury claims for workers who suffer injuries on the job, regardless of whether any act of negligence led to the incident. However, when negligence does occur, the worker may have the right to seek compensation through a personal injury claim. Those claims have several key differences.
While workers’ comp claims offer payments over time, including both direct payment of a victim’s medical bills and ongoing payments of a portion of their salary during recovery, personal injury claims generally pay out in one lump sum payment, at the end of the claim. Workers’ comp claims, unlike personal injury claims, also do not usually include compensation for the victim’s pain and suffering.
Construction is one of the most dangerous professions. Workers on job sites can face many hazards every day, from dangerous machinery to the need to work at heights. As a result, workers rely heavily on safety equipment and the requirements of their employer to keep them safe. Construction accidents often include falls, crushing damage from equipment, amputations, or chemical exposure.
Broussard is located in the heart of the oilfield area, which means that oil and gas is one of the primary employment sectors for the area. Unfortunately, oilfield work carries considerable dangers, including the risk of fires, equipment failures, explosions, and electrocution. Oilfield accidents often involve substantial injury that can permanently impact your quality of life.
Train derailments do not just pose an immediate danger to those around them at the time of the accident itself. They can also mean chemical exposure and contamination that can increase the risk of cancer, respiratory distress, and illness for those who live or work near the derailment site. Train derailments frequently mean mass casualties and a long recovery for those who suffer injuries. In many cases, train derailment injuries cause permanent disabilities.
Warehouses offer many potential risks to workers’ safety, from dangerous equipment to a risk of chemical spills and exposures. In many warehouses, safety falls by the wayside, which means increased danger for everyone in the building. Furthermore, many workers may not receive adequate training on how to use forklifts and other equipment, increasing the risk not only to workers using the equipment but to those around them.
Like oilfields, plants and refineries provide a valuable service and offer employment to many Broussard residents. Those refineries, however, can pose a significant danger when workers fail to observe essential safety precautions. Poor maintenance, faulty equipment or wiring, or unrealistic production schedules can all increase the risk of devastating accidents that can impact not only refinery workers, but those who live or work in the area.
A catastrophic injury includes any injury that creates a permanent change to the injured party’s health and wellness. Catastrophic injuries often severely impact your quality of life. Victims can recover some strength and mobility, but may have permanent limitations or disabilities as a direct result of the injury. Common catastrophic injuries include:
Many victims find that catastrophic injury claims quickly turn complicated, since they generally involve more extensive types of damages than other injury claims. In order to maximize their compensation, catastrophic injury victims may file a claim against all parties that share liability for the incident, which means a more thorough investigation.
It can also take longer to fully establish the damages the injured party sustained as a result of catastrophic injuries. It can take months before the care team can accurately predict how much the victim will recover or what long-term limitations they will have because of their injuries. Furthermore, complications and setbacks in the recovery process may add to the number of medical procedures the individual requires, further increasing medical costs.
Louisiana law gives the victim of an accident caused by another party’s negligence up to one year from the date of the accident to file a claim. While that does not mean that the claim will conclude within one year of the incident, it does mean that, if you suffer injuries in Louisiana, you have a limited amount of time to move forward with the claim process.
While you may have up to a year to file your injury claim, that does not mean that you should allow that time to elapse before reaching out to an attorney. The sooner you connect with a Broussard personal injury lawyer, the sooner that lawyer can begin supporting you in the claim process. Contacting a lawyer early can help you:
More effectively track all damages and costs sustained because of the accident
Deal with the insurance company, avoiding any notion that you might accept full or partial liability for the accident
Avoid low settlement offers, which, if you accept them, could prevent you from getting the full compensation you’re entitled to
At Morris & Dewett, we start with a free consultation to go over your damages and the compensation you should reasonably expect. That consultation can provide vital information about your rights as well as more information about how to navigate the claim process moving forward.
Severe injuries can bring with them a lot of financial uncertainty. Not only do they mean high medical costs, they can lead to income losses when you cannot return to work after the accident. The damages you can ultimately claim can depend on a number of factors, including:
Who bears liability for the accident
The type of claim that you need to file (workers’ comp claims include different damages than personal injury claims)
What losses you faced as a direct result of the accident
The insurance policy that covers the liable party and the coverage it offers
While a lawyer cannot guarantee the compensation amount you will ultimately recover from your claim, working with a lawyer often allows you to make sure you have included all relevant damages and that you have maximized your ability to recover compensation.
Every claim will look different. However, most injury claims will include compensation for:
All medical costs associated with the accident. Keep careful track of all your medical bills so that you can include all relevant expenses as part of your claim.
Any income losses that resulted from your accident. Note the hours you had to miss at work and how it impacted your income. Include reduced hours because of your injuries.
Your pain and suffering. Pain and suffering do not have a specific financial value. However, a lawyer can provide more information about how to include the extent of your suffering in the claim.
Any economic losses. Some types of accidents can lead to substantial property damage on top of bodily injury. Talk to your lawyer about any property damage resulting from the accident.
By accurately calculating your damages, you can make sure your Broussard personal injury claim includes all relevant information. That increases the odds that the insurance company will accurately assess your losses and the compensation you ultimately receive.
Any time you suffer injuries in an accident due to another party’s negligence, an attorney can provide valuable information that will guide your response. If you suffered injuries in an accident in Broussard, contact a Broussard personal injury lawyer at Mo
“We focus on being the best at 3 things: preparing hard for our cases, making sure we deliver what clients need, and making sure they are treated well throughout the process.”
"*" indicates required fields
